Staring
by somesilverreply
Summary: Pre- Hunger Games in Peeta's POV. Staring at the beautiful Katniss Everdeen: His thoughts and feelings!
1. Across the Hall

Hey guys! my first fanfic!! I love reading them, so why not write one? Ok so I've never seen a pre- Hunger Games so I thought I'd do that. In Peeta's POV. Sorry I stole the name Pekar from someone else but I liked it sooo yeah. Ok, so I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer- I don't own the Hunger Games.... :(**

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What does he have that I don't? _Just about everything. _He's strong, tall, and he looks just like her. He's talking to her, and she's laughing, glowing as her smile beams across her face. I can't handle just standing here, staring at her like a love-sick schoolboy. _Well, I am. _But she can't know that. Know that I've been in love with her ever since she sang in my kindergarten class. All conversations had been dropped, and all you could hear was the cool, beautiful sound of her voice. That's when I knew she had to be in my arms someday, instead of his strong, muscular hunters arms as he picks up her books she dropped. I wanted to run over there myself.

"Look how strong that Gale Hawthorne is!"

I see a group of giggling girls across the hall.

"And what is he doing helping her?"

This isn't anything new. Every day I hear snippets of his, and her name as I walk through the halls. Girls love him; he's eighteen, strong, tall, and handsome. Guys my age talk about her too, although I'm not sure they share the same feelings as I do for her. She's kind, talented, and she's a fighter. I've known that ever since I saw her on that horrible day when she was starving, about to give up on life, sitting by my apple tree in the yard. I couldn't stand to see her, my heart not prepared for it, so I looked away and threw her the bread. I don't think I've ever had a worse beating in my life, but it was worth it. Because, I know it's stupid, but I think when she catches me staring at her, she remembers that day. My first and only connection between her and I, forever, probably.

"Peeta, c'mon, let's go."

I awake from my depressing daydream and reply,

"Oh, yeah, sure."

My friend Greg and my brother Pekar know I was staring at Katniss Everdeen, and laugh to each other as they walk ahead of me. Pekar turns to me. _Oh god, another love joke. _

"Hey Peeta, did Katniss hit you with her arrow? You look frozen! Oh wait, that was Cupid!"

Greg and him laugh, although I have to admit that was the most well thought out joke I've ever heard from his mouth. Usually his jokes are pointless and don't make sense, but my friends continue to laugh. He's the most, in my mother's words, "social" Mellark boy.

Katniss and Gale, _ugh,_ hunt daily with a bow and arrow, and illegally almost every day in the outskirts of District 12 in the woods. I know it's bad and all, but I can't help but admiring that. Risking your life to provide for your family. It's also somewhat of a rebellion, too, disobeying the Capitol rules. The Capitol knows they have complete control, and show it in the most horrifying way possible. They keep the 12 districts in line every summer by sending one girl and boy between 12 and 18 to compete in the Hunger Games, in other words, pure torture. It's a fight to the death on live TV, in a huge arena filled with surprises at every turn. And what's worse, they make us treat it like a celebration. You can now understand how much I despise the Capitol.

Every year since I've turned 12, I've stood in the boys line, palms sweaty and I'm shaking so much I feel like I'm going to die. _That's ironic._ But it's not me I'm concerned for, it's her. Her beautiful, olive toned face with her black, sleek braid running down her back. I almost faint when I see her piercing grey eyes looking at me across the hall. I feel like I'm in love with her, and it's funny,_ not really_- I bet she doesn't even know my name. To her, I'm just the weird blue-eyed blonde kid who stares at her across the hall. And I bet that's how it will always be.

Gale, to her, well, I don't know, and I don't want to know. When the girls ask her, she shakes her head proudly and says firmly, "He's my friend." I can tell they don't buy it, and just roll their eyes. I really hope she's right. But watch, ten years from now they'll be married with children and I'll be standing right where I am now, staring at this beautiful woman that I'll always love, but will never have. And that's too much to think about right now, so I disappear from the hall, from her, and melt into my school life, learning about the coal mines and the future I'll have.

Where I should be.

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Ok so please **REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW**!! Tell me if I should post another chapter or anything. KK thanks!!


	2. Those Everdeen Girls

When Coal History is over, it's the end of the day. Sweet relief from coal, and onto yet another torture of Pekar's jokes. Great.

I catch one more glimpse of Katniss before I push open the door, and I can't help but notice she's laughing. _Laughing, Katniss?_ It makes me smile, but then it quickly fades as I see his large hand grasp her shoulder. I look away and head out, because I hate seeing him with her. Him being Gale, and her being my girl. _My _girl. _In my dreams._

"Peeta, hey, wait up!"

I glance over my shoulder to see my brother rushing up to me, out of breath.

"Hey, Pekar."

He puts his hand on my shoulder and gives it a light squeeze.

"Tough luck Peeta, man. Looks like hunter boy…"

"I'm not in the mood, Pekar."

I dislodge my shoulder from his hand and run up ahead. Even though he _is_ Pekar, he doesn't try to catch up to me again. He senses I'm in pain and backs off.

As I walk through the Seam, I look around and feel blessed. All those poor children, who are nearly dying of starvation, when I sit here and complain about stale bread.

_Bread. Katniss. _

_Why does everything come back to her?_

I try to clear my head, because I'm just making things harder on myself. When I arrive at the bakery, I see my father standing on the porch talking to a customer. Black hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Mrs. Everdeen. They're talking, and my father looks at her in a way he's never looked at my mom. His eyes are wider, and he's straightened his shoulders a little bit. I just barely squeeze by them without my father seeing me and stopping me to be introduced to this woman he secretly loved.

"Mellarks and their Everdeen women."

That was the first thing he said to me after I said I had a crush on Katniss. I was only five at the time, and I was a little confused. I didn't even know Katniss' name, just how pretty she was and her beautiful voice. He seemed to know right away though, just as if he'd known her for years.

Mrs. Everdeen is standing next to her daughter Prim, who seems about twelve. She has blonde hair and blue eyes, and she looks nothing like her sister. She looks as though she was born in the town.

"Well, thanks for coming."

He stares at her as she walks away, and sighs and turns to me. The last thing I notice before he shuts the door is Mrs. Everdeen whispering something in Prim's ear and Prim jolting her head back toward the house. My mind tries desperately to figure out what she might have said, but my father interrupts my train of thought.

"Hey, son! How was school?"

My father smiles me as he puts a fresh rye loaf in the oven.

"Not great."

I sit on the table, taking pieces off of a roll and eating them, staring at the floor. I decide I should confide in my dad all my troubles. My dad walks over, his blue eyes full of concern. I take a deep breath, and begin,

"It's Katniss. She's always with that Gale, and I think she thinks I'm a freak for staring at her and.."

I stop to take a breath and slow down, "It's hard."

My father at first looks concerned, then smiles.

"I know, I know. Katniss' mother used to do the same with me. She's very quiet, and mysterious, and it bugs the heck out of you because you have no idea what she was thinking."

I pause and look at him, and give a small smile, because that's just like her. Katniss. I repeat to my father what I just said in my mind.

"Like mother like daughter," is the last thing he says before patting my back and scurrying out to answer the door for a customer. I run up the stairs and throw my book bag on one of the three beds in me and my brother's room. It's so tight, and I hate it. No space, no privacy, just loud Pekar and Peter all the time. After about an hour of doing my coal homework, my mother knocks on my door.

"We're going to see Ellin, do you want to go or not?"

_Great, and how was your day, mom?_

"No." I simply reply.

I'm sick of my mother just talking to me when she needs to. No wonder my father is in love with Mrs. Everdeen and not this women he's stuck with.

And no, of course I don't want to see my brother Peter's fiancé, who annoyingly stops by _every day. _But Pekar goes, probably just to get away from me. I hear the slam of the door and I feel relief. Silence and peace at last.

I turn back to my homework, until I'm startled by the ring of the doorbell.

The store's closed, so who could it be?

I rush down our spiral staircase and greet a small, bright little girl with a serious look on her face, the same one Katniss uses on a regular basis. But not this little girl.

Not Primrose Everdeen.

So, I know something is wrong.

"Peeta, I need to talk to you."

She grabs my hand and pulls me out on my creaking wooden porch, into the bright starry sky, preparing myself for her next gentle words.


	3. Author's Note

Hey everyone!

Well, I took out Chapter 3. Everyone really doesn't like the idea of Prim and Peeta being related, so I thought I would either stop the story now or continue it with another idea. Prim says something else to him? I don't know.

Just to clear things up from the other chapter:

Katniss and Peeta were NOT related.

Prim was Peeta's half-sister. (same dad)

Ok, well that was that. I'm sorry for giving up! Unless you liked chapter 2 and want to me to try to continue it? Please tell me! I apprieciate all the reviews you give me Thanks so much!

Have you read As Lovely as a Primrose yet?

-Laura


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